Jayalalithaa had not identified any political successor: TN CM Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami on Sunday said late J Jayalalithaa had not named anyone as her political successor and that anyone in the party could aspire to reach such great heights with hard work.

He said efforts were also on to “topple” this government but asserted that was not possible as long as “true” party workers were with him.He was addressing a government function here.Palaniswami’s comments come in the midst of his bitter tussle with sidelined AIADMK (Amma) leader TTV Dhinakaran. MLAs supporting Dhinakaran have sought removal of the chief minister, saying they have lost confidence in him.

Following the revolt of the 19 MLAs who had asked Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to direct Palaniswami to go for a floor test, opposition parties have it too.The DMK, Congress and Left parties had even met President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi early this week with the same plea.

Today, Palaniswami said it was Jayalalithaa’s policy of equality that despite being a farmer’s son, he could assume the reins of the state. Heaping praise on Jayalalithaa at the birth centenary celebrations of AIADMK founder and late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran here, Palaniswami said Jayalalithaa had shown no mercy to anyone who had acted against the party.

He said Jayalalithaa had not nominated anybody her heir and that is why she did not identify any individual as her successor.She proved even a party worker from the lowest ranks could become the chief minister, he said.Anyone with “truth, hard work and personality” can attain heights like that of Jayalalithaa, he added.

“Some are trying to topple this government which follows the path shown by Amma. They (the Dhinakaran faction) are thinking of pulling it down by any means. But as long as true party supporters are with us, nobody can do that,” Palaniswami said. Tamil Nadu has achieved great heights because of the hard work of these two (Jayalalithaa and MG Ramachandran) leaders, he said.

The chief minister further claimed that Tamil Nadu was ranked as the top state in attracting FDI and was a preferred investment destination.After the success of the inaugural Global Investors Meet (GIM) held in 2015, efforts were on to hold the next edition in 2018, he added.These investments have led to creation of jobs which would only grow in the coming years, Palaniswami said.